North Dakota Fishing
Red River Fishing
Archive 1
Jim@ Canuck
Lockport
jstinson@mb.sympatico.ca
Saturday September 08, 2001
03:22 PM
Greetings. I am having trouble with getting the full msgs off of this site but I think somebody was inquiring about my address so have attached it. If anybody is interested we fished cats (3 of us) on Thursday, landed 16 in the morning 8 til noon then got skunked from 1 til 3PM. There was a storm blowing in and we could not stay anchored. We were actually blown up river and if you have ever been on the Red River near Lockport you will realize how silly that is with such a current. Fishing Cats tomorrow. The Cats are still very active but the greenbacks have not really showed up too much yettttttttt. Hope this helps. Oh yes, frogs are still very good bait. Very few goldeyes around right now.
CatMan
Winnipeg
Friday September 07, 2001
01:53 PM
Hey Jim@canuck what's your e-mail address.
Kent Kollands
GF, ND
Friday September 07, 2001
12:56 PM
Scott, I'm thinking about starting a guide service next summer and I'm tryen to find out if you need a state license to do it. or something from the Game and Fish dept. Anyone know what a guys needs or what the fees are. Thanks Kent
Steve Foss
Duluth (formerly GF)
stfcatfish@yahoo.com
Friday September 07, 2001
10:48 AM
On Kent's big cat. The GxGxL divided by 800 is very close. When I've had a scale along, the formula has come within a quarter-pound to a half-pound of the scale. Measure the girth directly behind the trio of spiny fins behind the head.
Kent's fish, at 38.5 inches, would have needed a girth of 26 inches to be 32.5 pounds (26x26x38.5 divided by 800). A 27-inch girth gets him over 33 and the state record. Those girths aren't out of line in a fish that long, I figure. Measured a 24.75 lb at the Point in EGF last year with a 25-inch girth. Much shorter fish than Kent's, obviously.
I keep a 60-inch tailor's tape measure in my cat gear. It's flexible cloth or plastic, and is easy to get around the cat. Costs a buck or two (but guys, you may have to go into a fabric store to buy one). I also bring a little calculator, in these days when multiplying big numbers and doing long division is a dim memory. Calculator's way faster, anyway.
Just moved from GF to Duluth. The DNR tells me there are channel cats here around Duluth in the St. Louis River, so if anyone out there knows anyone who knows good spots here for cats, let me know.
Meanwhile, good fishing.
And Kent, thanks for putting the fish back. If it was a female, that's thousands of eggs each year that won't be subtracted from the river. Whatever the sex of the fish, now someone else can catch it, too.
T-Cheese
Deatsville, AL
banczak@msn.com
Thursday September 06, 2001
08:05 PM
I'm making the long trek north the last week of September to chase big Walleyes. I'm bringing along a local buddy who has never seen a big Channel Cat so we're going to make a stop at Lockport. Since I've never tried them this time of year, does anyone have any good pointers?
Catman
Winnipeg
Thursday September 06, 2001
04:57 PM
Catman Hey Jim @ Lockport what's your e-mail address. Want some good information on the fishery and it seems like your the guy... Thanks!
Scott McNamee
Grand Forks
scott@invoman.com
Thursday September 06, 2001
04:23 PM
Is it just me or is fishingbuddy not allowing posts from members anymore?
I mean I used to be able to post and get it displayed immediately...it doesn't work today.
Anyone else have this problem?
Jim
Lockport
Thursday September 06, 2001
02:44 PM
Fished Lockport today. There were three of us. Landed 16 cats and all but 2 were hogs. Caught all 16 between 8AM and noon then from 1 til 3PM got skunked. A storm was blowing in so will right it off to the weather, (any excuse). Saw a few guys fishing for greenbacks but they had no luck.
Jim
Lockport, MB
Tuesday September 04, 2001
02:40 PM
For those interested, apparently a green back was caught this weekend off of the steam plant. It was a 9 lber and diffently a greenback so they should be starting in full force soon. As I may have mentioned before the sauger are running. I haven't been catfishing for about a week but will be on Thursday, I am told the cats are still biting but will let you know.
Kent Hollands
GF, ND
Tuesday September 04, 2001
08:19 AM
Went out on the North landig again Monday. Only caught two fish. A small 13 inch walleye, and a 16lb cat. I didn't get the catfish either my seven yr old caught it, and he lets me know about it also. Picture coming when films gets devl.
T-Cheese
Deatsville, AL
Monday September 03, 2001
05:24 PM
Scott, That sounds like a great plan. Be sure to put put a few bigger suckers - something like 6 inch size. A few years back I had an amazing time just north of the north dam by soaking big ones after dark. The bites were shockingly light but I picked up three huge walleyes in one evening. The best was 31 1/4" that went on my wall. The other two were 28 and 29 inches(released). The toughest part was recognizing the take. It was almost imperceptible. I put the line on free spool and went by feel. In all cases, I let the fish play until he started to swim away. Hope you can find a little of that magic. Naturally, it never worked that well again but I still got some nice fish on that pattern.
Scott McNamee
Grand Forks
scott@invoman.com
Monday September 03, 2001
01:46 PM
I'm going out for a little shorefishing this afternoon....gonna mix it up a bit-I would sure like an opportunity to catch another large walleye of the banks at the north landing....so I will fish the crossover baits...frogs and suckers and hope for the lottery...:>)
T-Cheese
Deatsville, AL
banczak@msn.com
Friday August 31, 2001
08:36 PM
Kent, Just found your earlier post. That is sure a nice fish. I've weighed and measured a few hundred big ones from the Lockport area over the last years. Even though I'm now down in Alabama, I still get several days a year on the Red. (I can't stay away.) As a rule, a fish with a good, strong (but not fat) body needs to be about 34 inches to go 20#. I've never gone 38 1/2 inches but I've weighed and measured a lot of 36-37 inch fish that were still less than 25 pounds. True, several went a little higher but most of them are 24-25 pound class. My best guess, without girth measurement or a closer picture is that your fish was in the upper 20's but not thirty. GREAT CATCH. Hope I get one that long sometime.
Kent Hollands
GF, ND
Friday August 31, 2001
06:43 AM
Sorry never thought about taking that measurement. It was wide all the way, and yes the head was massive. I wish I would have taken a picture off it so you could have seen.
Anyway hopeing to get on the river again this weekend and land one more hog for the season. I'm not sure how many days the river can hold me, because archery season is just around the corner and the is where my heart will be. At least until the lakes freeze.
I would love to get up north and land me a large greenback this winter though the ice this winter. When Should I be thinking about the Jim. towards the spring, or will you post something here telling us to get up there sicnce there hitting.
Jim
Lockport
Thursday August 30, 2001
02:40 PM
Kent, I found that formula to use concerning weight. You square the girth times the length and divide that by 800 and that gives you the weight in pounds, so (G X G) X L divided by 800 = weight in lbs.(use inches for the girth and length). I don't know if you took the girth measurement or not. I searched another chat line on cats and got this formula from some guy called Ugly Tiger. Others claim it is very accurate but I haven't tired it YET. Hope you have the girth. Jim.
Jim
Lockport
Thursday August 30, 2001
02:16 PM
Kent, I checked the picture, NICE FISH. From the picture I would estimate it in the 30 lb range. The head looks like it had mass and that really adds the weight. They used to have a scale in Lockport at the local convience store and almost every cat that was weighed was 20lbs, then somebody decided to have the scale checked and found it was out about 7 lbs (to the fisherman's favor). Manitoba now goes only by length but doesn't always tell the true story of how big the cat was, as some are long and skinny and others short and fat, like people. My experience has been that cats don't always travel too far and maybe you can coax it to bite again and this time have a better scale available. At least you have a nice photo.
Scott McNamee
Grand Forks
scott@invoman.com
Tuesday August 28, 2001
03:25 PM
Kent,
I had considered, for a time, to go to Home of Economy to see if they help sponser this site. I chose not to after several experiences there that left me wondering how they stay in business, period. That last straw was when I went to look for some suckers and frogs. The guy didn't have any, and didn't seem to care that he didn't and didn't offer WHEN the were getting some and didn't care IF they were getting any and didn't offer ANYTHING else as an alternative.
So now I'm down to 3 possibilities as sponsers, Scheels is definitely one of them. I've always liked their service. I just wish I could think of a way to call and pre-order, and pre-pay for bait and have it ready to pick-up and walk out of the store....without standing in line to wait to pay.
Regarding the scale at H of E...that IS sad that their scale is that far off, Kent. I'm surprised they don't calibrate it more often.
Kent Hollands
GF, ND
Tuesday August 28, 2001
06:16 AM
Well I had to do it. I went to Home of Economy to check the scale and guess what I found out. After weighting three ten pound weights the avg. I came up with was 9.10 on the three of them. Plus the part of the fish that was laying on the table.
I don't think It would have made state record size, but I think it might have made 30lbs. I just keep kicking myself for not pushing them harder on weighing the fish right. Sorry had to vent. I won't happen again I,m going to Scheels.
Scott McNamee
Grand Forks
scott@invoman.com
Monday August 27, 2001
03:06 PM
Kent and Jim and all:
The photo is up!
I won't even send a report about Pembina. Let's just say we could have done better bank fishing at the North Landing in GF, and leave it at that.
Congrats, Kent!
Kent Hollands
GF, ND
Monday August 27, 2001
07:50 AM
Scott, I tought I had it and still might have it if they would have weighed it right.
Lets just say this when the cat was on the scale part of the fish was on the table and the tail was hanging over the edge. I told them that it had to be on there better about four times and they kept telling me as long as the main body is on the scale it will still weigh the fishes total weight.
The scale said 26 1/4 but I still beleive it was alot more then that. Even the guy that came in with me kept shaken his head at how they did this. After all this I talked to a guy from Scheels, Nest year they will have a scale there for weighing fish like this.
As far as bringing in my fish, I did it the same way we do during the cats incredible tournament, a large cooler.
So I'm asking for help here, Jim you have see alot of big cats, whats this one weight. 38 1/2 inches long. I was guessing between 30-33 when I lifted it the first time. With ones between 15 and 20 I'm within a pound.
Picture is in the photo section: as soon as scott gets it.